Foundation for buildings.



bro/846,249. PATENTED MAR.5,-1907.

"P. SBILBR. FOUNDATION FOR BUILDINGS.

' INVENTOR fizzlfla'lez PAUL SEILER, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.

FOUNDATION FOR BUILDINGS- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 5, 1907.

Application filed June 16,1906. Serial No. 322,084.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PAUL SEILER, a citizen of the United States, residing atOakland, in the county of Alameda and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Foundations for Buildings, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improved method of constructing building-foundations, and is es ecially designed to prevent the sudden shoc s and movements of the earth from being transmitted from the foundations to the upper portion of the building.

It consists in the combination of parts and details of construction, which will be more fully explained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in Which Figure 1 is a general perspective view showing my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan of one member of my yielding foundation. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of one form. Fig. 4 is a modification. Fig. 5 is a detail view of a member.

It is the object of my invention to construct such a foundation for buildings as will support the upper portion of the structure and at the same time will allow for transverse yielding movements such as may occur by reason of earthquakes and Without transmit ting the shock to the upper portion of the building.

A represents the foundation, which may be made of stone, concrete, brick, or-other suitable unyielding material. Upon this foundation and disposed in any suitable manner with relation thereto are strong metal frames or casings 3, these casings being of any suitable or desired size and proportion and open at both bottom and top. The bottom of these casings rest upon or are supported by the foundation portions A and have a level or flat bottom, as at 4. Upon these bottoms are disposed heavy steel balls 5, and upon these balls rest the cover-plates 6 of the casings which inclose the balls. These balls are inclosed in spaces in open-bottomed structures 7, within Which they roll freely, and these structures are also movable within the casings 3 and are surrounded with a thick exterior coating of any suitable yielding and at he same time fireproof material, as at 8, which farms a lining of the casings. I have found that a very suitable material to answer these requirements is asbestos, which may be made in the form of a felt of any desired thickness. The interior of the structures 7, within which the balls arecontained, is also preferably lined with a thick coating of the same material, thus forming a sufiicient buffer against the impact of the balls.

The casing may be made rectangular with four or more balls in each of the structures 7, or it may be circular and three or other number of balls employed. In any case the interior structures inclose the balls and the coatings of asbestos or similar material form the surrounding and lining members.

In Fig. 4 I have shown the structure constructed as hereinbefore described, the lower plate resting upon the masonry and the upper plate 6 resting upon the balls. Upon this the superstructure is carried. In this figure I have shown supports 6, which may be in the form of angle or channel beams or other supports secured to the upper movable plates of the casings, and upon these beams or supports are carried other plates 7, upon which the walls of the superstructure may be erected. Any number of these may be connected together in various ways, and the amount of movement allowed in the ballcontaining casings will be sufficient to allow for any amplitude of earthquake movement that has hitherto been experienced.

It will be understood that such structures as herein described may be erected singly or in blocks, as may be preferred.

The sidewalks would be disconnected from the buildings and allowance made for the movement of the buildings with relation to the fixed sidewalks by joints sufiiciently open for the purpose. Such joints may be rendered waterproof by upturning the inner edges of the sidewalk and overlapping them with molding or other projection extending downward from the structure to close proximity with the sidewalk, thus allowing of all necessary lateral movement without bringing any pressure to bear that would damage the wall Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a building structure foundationwalls, independent casings mounted thereon having level bottoms, balls movable independently within said casings, fiat plates resting upon the balls, and a super structure carried thereon, and yielding incombustible linings between the balls and the surrounding casings.

2. In a building structure, a fixed base,

ing linings, balls loosely fitting said openings, substantially level surfaces supporting the balls, and plates resting upon the balls and 15 forming supports for a superstructure.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

PAUL SEILER.

Witnesses S. H. NOURSE, C. H. HARVEY. 

